• Lotus Technology Reports Unaudited Third Quarter and First Nine Months 2024 Financial Results

    Source: Nasdaq GlobeNewswire / 21 Nov 2024 05:00:00   America/Chicago

    • Over 7,600 vehicles delivered in the first nine months of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 136%
    • Total revenue reached $653 million, more than doubled year-on-year
    • Revenue of intelligent driving business from customers other than Lotus surged to $11 million with a year-on-year growth of 450%
    • Launched Hyper Hybrid EV technology that provides high-performance with a combined range of over 1,100 kilometers

    NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lotus Technology Inc. (“Lotus Tech” or the “Company”), a leading global intelligent and luxury mobility provider, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter and first nine months ended September 30, 2024.

    Operating Highlights for the First Nine Months of 2024

    In the first nine months of 2024, the Company achieved total deliveries1 of 7,617 units, representing a 136% year-on-year (YoY) increase. Global allocation was relatively diversified with each region contributing 18-35% of the total deliveries in the first nine months of 2024, powered by over 200 stores in prime locations worldwide. Europe market continued to expand with a year-on-year increase of 372% in deliveries in the first nine months of 2024. Rest of the World region achieved a year-on-year growth of 110% as the Company continued to make steady progress in its expansion into new markets.

    In the third quarter of 2024, the deliveries of Emira commenced in South Africa and India, and of Eletre in Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. Eletre Carbon, a high-performance variant tailored for the North America market, was revealed and is expected to commence deliveries in the first half of 2025. Deliveries of bespoke and collection versions of both Eletre (SUV) and Emeya (GT, Sedan) also commenced in the third quarter.

    Lotus continues to drive technological innovation to meet market demand. Following the launch of the Theory 1 model which embodies the brand’s future design philosophy, the Company recently revealed Hyper Hybrid EV technology. Beyond upholding Lotus’ legacy of high-performance, the 900V Hyper Hybrid EV technology features industry leading Dual Hyper Charging technology and a combined range of over 1,100 kilometers to provide premium driving experience for the drivers.

    Deliveries1 by Model Type

     Jan-Sep, 2024Jan-Sep, 2023%Change (YoY)
    Lifestyle SUV and Sedan3,9831,762126%
    Sportscars3,6341,459149%
    Total7,6173,221136%
         

    Deliveries1 by Region

     Jan-Sep, 2024% by regionJan-Sep, 2023% by region
    Europe2,68335%56818%
    China1,88025%1,99362%
    North America1,66522%--
    Rest of the World1,38918%66020%
    Total7,617100%3,221100%
         

    Lotus Robotics, the Company’s intelligent driving arm, has recently entered into an agreement with a top European automaker to deliver intelligent driving solutions for its multiple models in plan. As a result, the total contract value2 for Lotus intelligent driving with customers other than Lotus reached approximately $130 million for Lotus intelligent driving solutions following earlier agreements with multiple auto conglomerates such as Farizon and a top Japanese tier-one supplier.

    Recognized revenue of Lotus Robotics
    (in millions of U.S. dollars, unaudited)

     Jan-Sep, 2024Jan-Sep, 2023%Change (YoY)
    Revenue196217%
    from Lotus(A)84100%
    from Other Customers112450%

    (A): Represent subsidiaries of the Company

    Financial Highlights for the First Nine Months of 2024

    • Total revenues for the first nine months of 2024 were $653 million, a 105% YoY increase.
    • Sales of goods were $624 million, a 104% YoY increase.
    • Service revenues were $29 million, a 129% YoY increase.
    • Gross margin for the first nine months was 9%, versus 11% in the same period of 2023.
    • Gross margin of sales of goods for the first nine months of 2024 was 7%, versus 10% for the same period of 2023, mainly due to destock.
    • Gross margin of service revenues for the first nine months of 2024 was 55%, versus 28% for the same period of 2023, due to increase of high-margin technology-related income.
    • Operating loss was $598 million for the first nine months of 2024, a 18% YoY increase.
    • Net loss was $667 million for the first nine months of 2024. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, adjusted net loss (non-GAAP) was $633 million for the first nine months of 2024, a 20% YoY increase.
    • Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) was a loss of $563 million for the first nine months of 2024, a 16% YoY increase.

    Key Financial Results
    The table below summarizes key preliminary financial results for the first nine months ended September 30, 2024.
    (in millions of U.S. dollars, unaudited)

     Jan-Sep, 2024 Jan-Sep, 2023 % Change (YoY) 
    Revenues653 318 105%
    Cost of revenues594 284 109%
    Gross profit59 34 75%
    Gross margin (%)9%11% 
    Operating loss(598)(508)18%
    Net loss(667)(527)27%
    Adjusted net loss(A)(633)(527)20%
    Adjusted EBITDA(A)(563)(486)16%
           

    (A) Non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and “Appendix D – Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP results (Adjusted net loss/Adjusted EBITDA)” for details and a reconciliation of adjusted metrics to the nearest GAAP measure.

    Recent Developments

    • Delivery Updates: The Company delivered a total of 8,631 vehicles in the first 10 months of 2024.
    • New Technology Launched: The Company unveiled its "Hyper Hybrid EV technology" on Guangzhou Auto Show. The 900V Hyper Hybrid EV technology features an Hybrid Electric Drivetrain and dual Hyper Charging technology: Ultra-Fast Plug-In Charging and Ultra-Fast On-The-Drive Charging, both with industry leading charging speed. The Hyper Hybrid technology enables high performance, high efficiency and a flexible longer driving distance of over 1,100 kilometer.  
    • Delivery of Urban NOA (Navigate on Autopilot) Service and OTA: The Company started open beta test for urban NOA in key cities in October, 2024, following the launch of highway OTA services. Certain OTA, including highway assistant driving function, has been launched in Europe.
    • Reuters Sustainability Awards 2024 : In October, the Company was awarded the Highly Commends honor at the Reuters Sustainability Awards 2024 in the Business Transformation category as the only awardee from the automotive industry.

    CEO and CFO comments
    "We continued to deliver strong operational growth, with total deliveries of 7,617 units in the first nine months of 2024, up by 136% year-on-year, driven by the European market," said Mr. Qingfeng Feng, Chief Executive Officer. "We are excited to see significant progress in our intelligent driving business across the world with revenue of the business from customers other than Lotus surged to $11 million with a year-on-year growth of 450%, contributing about 2% of total revenue. We also launched Hyper Hybrid EV technology, in line with evolving market demands. We remain committed in executing ‘Win26’ Plan to drive efficiency and competitiveness, delivering sustainable value for our shareholders and investors."

    "We have made continual improvement and streamlined our operations to drive efficiency, and resource optimization and achieve operating expenses reduction for four consecutive quarters," said Mr. Alexious Lee, Chief Financial Officer. "While gross margin for the first nine months of 2024 was 9%, shrinking 2 percentage points compared to the same period of 2023 due to proactive management of our inventory in response to trade protectionism, inflation impact and macroeconomic uncertainties, high margin intelligent driving business have secured $130 million of total contract value to boost future growth. We are committed to advancing the ‘Win26’ Plan target to continuously improve profitability and create long-term value."

    Operating and Financial Results for the Third Quarter of 2024

    • Total deliveries1 for the third quarter of 2024 were 2,744 units, a 54% YoY increase.
    • Total revenues for the third quarter of 2024 were $255 million, a 36% YoY increase.
    • Gross margin for the third quarter of 2024 was 3%, versus 15% for the same period of 2023.
    • Operating loss for the third quarter of 2024 was $160 million, narrowed by 2% compared with same period of 2023.
    • Net loss for the third quarter was $206 million, a 19% YoY increase.
    • Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) was a loss of $182 million for the third quarter of 2024, a 18% YoY increase.

    Deliveries1 by Model Type

     3Q 20243Q 2023% Change (YoY)
    Lifestyle SUV and Sedan1,59489179%
    Sportscars1,15089130%
    Total2,7441,78254%
        

    Key Financial Results
    The table below summarizes key preliminary financial results for the third quarter in 2024.
    (in millions of U.S. dollars, unaudited)

     3Q 2024 3Q 2023 %Change(YoY) 
    Revenues255 188 36%
    Cost of Revenues247 160 54%
    Gross profit8 28 (70%)
    Gross margin (%)3%15% 
    Operating loss(160)(163)(2%)
    Net loss(206)(174)19%
    Adjusted net loss(A)(209)(174)20%
    Adjusted EBITDA(A)(182)(154)18%
           

    (A) Non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and “Appendix D – Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP results (Adjusted net loss/Adjusted EBITDA)” for details and a reconciliation of adjusted metrics to the nearest GAAP measure.

    Conference call
    Lotus Tech management will host an earnings conference call at 7:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday, November 21 2024 (13:00 Central European Time / 20:00 China Standard Time on the same day).

    There will be a live audio webcast and replay available following completion of the call on the Company’s investor relations website at https://ir.group-lotus.com/.

    For participants who wish to join the call, please complete online registration prior to the scheduled call start time using the link provided below. Upon registration, participants will receive a confirmation email with conference call access information, including dial-in numbers and a unique PIN. Participant online registration link: https://register.vevent.com/register/BI46e1ce34cf354ab39173629030b38f03

    Note 1: Invoiced deliveries, including commissioned deliveries in US market.
    Note 2: The amount includes payable depending on future sales volume and is therefore an estimate in nature and subject to changes.

    About Lotus Technology Inc.
    Lotus Technology Inc. has operations across the UK, the EU and China. The Company is dedicated to delivering luxury lifestyle battery electric vehicles, with a focus on world-class R&D in next-generation automobility technologies such as electrification, digitalisation and more. For more information about Lotus Technology Inc., please visit www.group-lotus.com.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures
    The Company uses non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted net loss and adjusted EBITDA in evaluating its operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes. Adjusted net loss represents net loss excluding share-based compensation expenses, and such adjustment has no impact on income tax. Lotus Tech defines adjusted EBITDA as net loss excluding interest income, interest expense, income tax expenses, depreciation of property, equipment and software, and share-based compensation expenses. The Company believes that non-GAAP financial measures help identify underlying trends in its business and enhance the overall understanding of the Company’s past performance and future prospects. The Company also believes that non-GAAP financial measures allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by the Company’s management in its financial and operational decision-making.

    Non-GAAP financial measures are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP and may be different from non-GAAP methods of accounting and reporting used by other companies. Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools and when assessing the Company’s operating performance, investors should not consider them in isolation, or as a substitute for financial information prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Company encourages investors and others to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure. The Company mitigates these limitations by reconciling non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable U.S. GAAP performance measures, all of which should be considered when evaluating the Company’s performance. For more information on non-GAAP financial measures, please see "Appendix C – Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results (Adjusted net loss/Adjusted EBITDA)" set forth at the end of this press release.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains statements that may constitute “forward-looking” statements pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may”, “should”, “expect”, “intend”, “will”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “predict”, “potential”, “forecast”, “plan”, “seek”, “future”, “propose” or “continue”, or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology although not all forward-looking statements contain such terminology. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including those identified under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Lotus Tech undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

    Contact Information
    For investor inquiries
    ir@group-lotus.com

    Appendix A

    Lotus Technology Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

    (All amounts in thousands)

      As of
     September 30, 2024 December 31, 2023
      US$ US$
    ASSETS    
    Current assets    
    Cash 191,300 418,941
    Restricted cash 465,064 7,873
    Accounts receivable – third parties, net 94,503 76,664
    Accounts receivable – related parties, net 56,638 22,430
    Inventories 320,834 265,190
    Prepayments and other current assets – third parties, net 107,905 63,870
    Prepayments and other current assets – related parties, net 57,716 28,744
         
    Total current assets 1,293,960 883,712
         
    Non-current assets    
    Restricted cash 1,542 321
    Investment securities – related parties 2,011 3,326
    Securities pledged to an investor 318,398 -
    Loan receivable from a related party 280,808 -
    Property, equipment and software, net 347,751 354,617
    Intangible assets 116,520 116,360
    Operating lease right-of-use assets 149,079 173,103
    Other non-current assets – third parties 74,420 50,533
    Other non-current assets – related parties 2,735 2,706
         
    Total non-current assets 1,293,264 700,966
         
    Total assets 2,587,224 1,584,678
         
         

    Lotus Technology Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Con’d)

    (All amounts in thousands)

      As of
     September 30, 2024 December 31, 2023
      US$ US$
    LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT    
    Current liabilities    
    Short-term borrowings – third parties 703,130 226,772
    Accounts payable – third parties 56,425 20,123
    Accounts payable – related parties 492,599 340,419
    Contract liabilities – third parties 48,390 44,184
    Operating lease liabilities – third parties 12,423 16,760
    Accrued expenses and other current liabilities – third parties 366,762 419,422
    Accrued expenses and other current liabilities – related parties 231,067 290,686
    Exchangeable notes - 378,638
    Mandatorily redeemable ordinary shares 105,440 -
    Convertible notes - related parties 113,701 -
    Convertible notes - third parties - 20,277
    Put option liabilities – related parties 18 -
         
    Total current liabilities 2,129,955 1,757,281
         
    Non-current liabilities    
    Contract liabilities – third parties 7,645 6,245
    Operating lease liabilities – third parties 72,295 91,929
    Operating lease liabilities – related parties 11,648 12,064
    Put option liabilities – third parties 135,864 -
    Put option liabilities – related parties - 11,884
    Warrant Liabilities 4,489 -
    Exchangeable notes 107,423 75,678
    Convertible notes - third parties 78,009 81,635
    Deferred income 301,541 270,097
    Other non-current liabilities – third parties 114,348 103,403
    Other non-current liabilities – related parties 1,580 1,634
         
    Total non-current liabilities 834,842 654,569
         
    Total liabilities 2,964,797 2,411,850
         
         

    Lotus Technology Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (con’d)

    (All amounts in thousands)

      As of
     September 30, 2024 December 31, 2023
      US$ US$
    MEZZANINE EQUITY    
    Series Pre-A Redeemable Convertible Preferred Shares -  184,509 
    Series A Redeemable Convertible Preferred Shares -  199,021 
         
    Total mezzanine equity -  383,530 
         
         
    SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT    
    Ordinary shares 7  21 
    Additional paid-in capital 1,857,225  358,187 
    Accumulated other comprehensive income 25,615  25,267 
    Accumulated deficit (2,253,891) (1,588,773)
         
    Total shareholders' deficit attributable to ordinary shareholders (371,044) (1,205,298)
    Noncontrolling interests (6,529) (5,404)
    Total shareholders' deficit (377,573) (1,210,702)
         
    Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders' deficit 2,587,224  1,584,678 
        
        

    Appendix B

    Lotus Technology Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive loss

    (All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share)

      For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
      2024  2023 
      US$ US$
    Revenues:    
    Sales of goods 624,249  305,480 
    Service revenues 28,574  12,461 
    Total revenues 652,823  317,941 
    Cost of revenues:    
    Cost of goods sold (580,820) (275,246)
    Cost of services (12,888) (8,947)
    Total cost of revenues (593,708) (284,193)
    Gross profit 59,115  33,748 
    Operating expenses:    
    Research and development expenses (227,525) (234,547)
    Selling and marketing expenses (259,804) (191,231)
    General and administrative expenses (175,342) (118,203)
    Government grants 5,811  2,357 
    Total operating expenses (656,860) (541,624)
    Operating loss (597,745) (507,876)
    Interest expenses (20,557) (7,367)
    Interest income 15,276  7,258 
    Investment income (loss), net 10,799  (1,309)
    Share of results of equity method investments (39) (648)
    Foreign currency exchange gains, net 14,963  883 
    Changes in fair values of mandatorily redeemable noncontrolling interest, exchangeable notes and convertible notes, excluding impact of instrument-specific credit risk 3,917  (15,395)
    Changes in fair values of warrant liabilities 7,377  - 
    Changes in fair values of put option liabilities (99,356) (720)
    Loss before income taxes (665,365) (525,174)
    Income tax expense (1,155) (1,350)
    Net loss (666,520) (526,524)
    Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests (1,402) (7,651)
    Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders (665,118) (518,873)
    Accretion of Redeemable Convertible Preferred Shares (2,979) (5,063)
    Net loss available to ordinary shareholders (668,097) (523,936)
    Loss per ordinary share1    
    —Basic and diluted (1.05) (1.10)
    Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding used in computing net loss per ordinary share1    
    —Basic and diluted 636,737,124  474,621,603 
           

    1 Shares outstanding for all periods reflect the adjustment for recapitalization upon the consummation of merger transaction in February 2024.


    Lotus Technology Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive loss (cont’d)

    (All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share)

      For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
      2024  2023 
      US$ US$
    Net loss (666,520) (526,524)
         
    Other comprehensive income:    
    Fair value changes of mandatorily redeemable noncontrolling interest, exchangeable notes and convertible notes due to instrument-specific credit risk, net of nil income taxes 230  (585)
    Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil income taxes 118  24,077 
         
    Total other comprehensive income 348  23,492 
         
    Total comprehensive loss (666,172) (503,032)
    Less: Total comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests (1,402) (7,587)
    Total comprehensive loss attributable to ordinary shareholders (664,770) (495,445)
         
         

    Appendix C
    Lotus Technology Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive loss

    (All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share)

      Three Months Ended
      September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
      US$ US$
    Revenues:    
    Sales of goods 241,356  180,626 
    Service revenues 13,352  7,280 
    Total revenues 254,708  187,906 
    Cost of revenues:    
    Cost of goods sold (239,938) (155,689)
    Cost of services (6,567) (4,596)
    Total cost of revenues (246,505) (160,285)
    Gross profit 8,203  27,621 
    Operating expenses:    
    Research and development expenses (52,671) (81,999)
    Selling and marketing expenses (55,530) (72,995)
    General and administrative expenses (63,364) (37,786)
    Government grants 3,323  1,695 
    Total operating expenses (168,242) (191,085)
    Operating loss (160,039) (163,464)
    Interest expenses (8,849) (3,897)
    Interest income 6,618  1,410 
    Investment income (loss), net 7,303  (4,079)
    Share of results of equity method investments (398) (22)
    Foreign currency exchange gains, net 19,392  4,502 
    Changes in fair values of mandatorily redeemable noncontrolling interest, exchangeable notes and convertible notes, excluding impact of instrument-specific credit risk (4,884) (2,637)
    Changes in fair values of warrant liabilities 1,060  - 
    Changes in fair values of put option liabilities (65,671) (4,027)
    Loss before income taxes (205,468) (172,214)
    Income tax expense (800) (1,368)
    Net loss (206,268) (173,582)
    Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests (469) (1,872)
    Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders (205,799) (171,710)
    Accretion of Redeemable Convertible Preferred Shares -  (4,805)
    Net loss available to ordinary shareholders (205,799) (176,515)
    Loss per ordinary share1    
    —Basic and diluted (0.30) (0.37)
    Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding used in computing net loss per ordinary share1    
    —Basic and diluted 675,897,690  474,621,603 
           

    1 Shares outstanding for all periods reflect the adjustment for recapitalization upon the consummation of merger transaction in February 2024.

    Lotus Technology Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive loss (con’d)

    (All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share)

      Three Months Ended
      September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
      US$ US$
    Net loss (206,268) (173,582)
         
    Other comprehensive income (loss):    
    Fair value changes of mandatorily redeemable noncontrolling interest, exchangeable notes and convertible notes due to instrument-specific credit risk, net of nil income taxes 
    631
      974 
    Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil income taxes (294) (10,486)
         
    Total other comprehensive income (loss) 337  (9,512)
         
    Total comprehensive loss (205,931) (183,094)
    Less: Total comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests (469) (1,998)
    Total comprehensive loss attributable to ordinary shareholders (205,462) (181,096)
           

    Appendix D
    Lotus Technology Inc.
    Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP results (Adjusted net loss/Adjusted EBITDA)

    (All amounts in thousands)

      For Nine Months Ended
      September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
      US$ US$
    Net loss (666,520) (526,524)
    Share-based compensation expenses, net of tax effect of nil1 33,565  - 
    Adjusted net loss (632,955) (526,524)
    Net loss (666,520) (526,524)
    Interest expenses 20,557  7,367 
    Interest income (15,276) (7,258)
    Income tax expense 1,155  1,350 
    Share-based compensation expenses 33,565  - 
    Depreciation 63,153  38,650 
    Adjusted EBITDA (563,366) (486,415)
           


     Three Months Ended
     September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
     US$ US$
    Net loss(206,268) (173,582)
    Share-based compensation expenses, net of tax effect of nil1(2,329) - 
    Adjusted net loss(208,597) (173,582)
    Net loss(206,268) (173,582)
    Interest expenses8,849  3,897 
    Interest income(6,618) (1,410)
    Income tax expense800  1,368 
    Share-based compensation expenses(2,329) - 
    Depreciation23,867  16,009 
    Adjusted EBITDA(181,699) (153,718)
          

    1 Share-based compensation expenses were non-deductible expenses in accordance with the regulations of the relevant tax jurisdictions. Therefore, there is no tax impact for share-based compensation expenses adjustment for non-GAAP financial measures.


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